


We Need to Talk About Scorpius

by mothermalfoy (MsLyraMalfoy)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, M/M, Not A Happy Ending, Past Mpreg, mentions of past relationship between H/D, semi-epilogue compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2020-10-11 22:40:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20553842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsLyraMalfoy/pseuds/mothermalfoy
Summary: Watching his son get on the Hogwarts Express Draco can't help but think about what it took to get them there, but he's not the only one with questions about the past.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Strap in because it’s about to be a dark and wild ride. I’m not entirely sure why but I originally had this idea of Draco thinking about his life as he watches his son get on the Hogwarts Express and that turned into this angsty story. I do have plans for more so it will eventually get less angsty (in theory) but like here’s part 1.

Draco sighed, standing on the edge of the platform watching his son climbing onto the train to wave him goodbye. The last eleven years had been rather fraught for the two of them. But now, here he was, sending his son off to Hogwarts. He had never felt such a mixture of excitement and nerves since Scorpius had been born. At least he knew he wouldn't have as difficult a time of it as he had. Sure he'd be attending with a Potter and wasn't that just perfect, but Draco had done his best to ensure that his son was not brought into the world with the same prejudices he had been. _Maybe they would even become friends_, he thought.

Draco laughed to himself, _yeah, right._ A Potter and a Malfoy, friends. That'll be the day.

Scorpius waved to him from the window of the train and Draco smiled, waving back at him. _My little Scorpion, all grown up, _he thought.

"Cute kid," said a familiar voice from behind him. Draco gasped, turning his head. _Potter. _Of course, it was, Draco turned back around and barely resisted rolling his eyes. They were in public, and the last thing he needed was someone making a scene that the chosen one was deigning to be seen with a former Death Eater. "Can we talk?" Potter whispered in his ear.

Draco snorted, "No Potter, I'm afraid we can't. I'm very busy."

"It wasn't a question," Potter hissed. Draco cringed, turning around fast he glared at the dark-haired menace.

"Just because you're Head Auror doesn't mean you get to order me around!" Draco spat.

At this, Harry just laughed. "We need to talk, and I'd just as soon we do it in private."

"We have _nothing _to talk about," Draco replied. He refused to be swayed, even if the prat _was _devilishly handsome. With that bloody beard, and those denims, and that leather jacket. _Bugger it all to hell!_

"I think we do," Harry said, leaning in closer to whisper in his ear. "When were you going to tell me we had a son?"

Draco swallowed, looking up into Harry's emerald green eyes then. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he lied.

Harry snorted, "I'll just bet. Let's go," he grabbed Draco's arm and dragged him off Platform 9 3/4.

"What about your wife?" Draco hissed.

"She can get back home on her own, this is work as far as she's concerned."

Draco rolled his eyes, "Typical Potter, always full of shit."

"You don't get to make judgment calls here," Harry growled pulling them through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. "You kept my son from me for eleven years."

"You clearly weren't hurting for progeny," Draco snapped. "And let go of me!" he hissed, wrenching his arm free of Harry's grasp.

Harry merely stared at him, the two of them hidden behind the barrier. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You really wanna do this here?" Draco asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"After all this time…"

"Oh for goddess sake!" Draco growled, grabbing Harry's hand and apparating them out of King's Cross and back to Malfoy Manor. "What do you want me to say Potter?"

"Tell me why!" Harry demanded. He swayed a little on his feet when they landed, trying to catch his balance. 

"He looks nothing like you," Draco said.

"He looks EVERYTHING like me," Harry growled. "Green eyes, you think I couldn't spot that. My hair, but blond!"

"He's not your son," Draco growled.

"He is!"

"No. He's MY son. I'm the one who raised him!" Draco spat. "You were never there! But you know who was? My mother! Astoria! My friends. They were there for me. They helped me through the darkest times of my life. My mother moved in with me after Astoria died. Pansy helped me through that. Blaise made sure Scorpius was kept safe while your Auror's were hauling me off to the Ministry every other week. My _family _were the ones who made sure that my son had a stable life despite EVERYTHING YOUR PEOPLE COULD DO TO DESTABLEIZE IT! You have no right Potter to come in here and DEMAND that I tell you anything." Harry frowned. "I have given EVERYTHING to protect that boy. I would have bloody fought off Voldemort himself if I had to, to ensure he was safe. And then you come in here, after eleven years demanding to what? Play Daddy? You HAVE children. YOU HAVE A FAMILY. You made your choice."

"That choice was made for me!" Harry growled. "You _never _told me."

"It was a one night stand in which two scared teenagers got pissed and fooled around taking out seven years of anger and resentment on each other and then one of them got knocked up!"

"You just left," Harry said, quietly. Coldly.

Draco snorted, "As if it would have mattered? You were _always _going to marry the Weaselette. Carry on that perfect little golden family and perfect little golden Potter lineage. There was no place for me in that story. Oh yes, the savior of the Wizarding World and his Death Eater lover, and their bastard child. The Prophet would have a field day. They would have never _allowed _us a life."

"What do you even care what anyone else thinks. I don't."

"That's because they LOVE YOU!" Draco screamed, tears welling up in his eyes. "You have no idea what it's been like for me do you? Do you have any idea what it feels like to be in the middle of dinner and have Aurors show up to your house out of nowhere, and demand to look through everything, and then being hauled out of the house in chains, in front of your sobbing three year old, because they found some old relic of an artifact in your cellar that you KNOW for a bloody fact was not there this morning, and now you have to defend yourself while your house elf watches your kid and calls your mother? Do you know what it's like to not even be able to step foot in Diagon Alley without being spat at? To have to put up silencing charms around your child so that he doesn't have to hear all the lovely things people say about his father. To spend half of your life just _waiting _for the day that your son is going to come home and tell you he HATES you because of what you did when you were a child. Knowing full well that there is no possible way to avoid it. Have you ever even imagined what it might be like to have to sit your son down at ten years old and explain to him that he's going to have a very difficult time at school because of his father, after he BEGGED you not to send him to Durmstrang or Beauxbatons, because all of his friends will be in Hogwarts." Draco laughed despite himself, tears running down his face. "You couldn't even begin to fathom the life I have lived over these past twelve years and what I have done to make sure my child had some semblance of normalcy. I have spent EVERY waking moment hating myself for what I did, to the point where some days I couldn't even leave the house. So forgive me, Potter, if you weren't a consideration in my mind when Scorpius was growing up, I was too busy trying to figure out how to survive."

"I'm sorry," Harry said quietly.

"Oh save it, Potter, it doesn't mean anything. I'm not blaming you."

"I know. I just… I'm sorry I wasn't there. I should have tried harder. I should never have given up on you."

Draco snorted, "What's done is done. You have your life and I have mine."

"It doesn't have to be the end," Harry said.

Draco glared, "You're not leaving your wife Potter, and I'm not going to be the other person. Don't fuck up your family and your children's lives just because you feel guilty." 

"I deserve to know my son," Harry said.

"Not going to happen," Draco replied coldly.

Harry blinked, "Draco you can't…"

"You don't get it do you?" Draco growled. "I am not going to risk my son's happiness for anyone. I don't care if you did save the Wizarding World and my arse on numerous occasions. He's been through enough. You have your kids and your family. You have _made_ your decisions."

"I just want to be there for the both of you."

"Why? You don't owe me anything. You don't owe him anything either."

"He's my son," Harry repeated.

"No, he isn't, and I'm warning you, Potter. I mean this with every ounce of my being. If you come near him, I will do what Lord Voldemort never could, and not only will I kill you, I will rip off your flesh and wear your bloody face as a Halloween mask, do I make myself clear?" Harry nodded. "Good. Now, get out of my house."

Harry sighed, and made his way over to the floo, grabbed some powder and vanished in green flames. Draco closed his eyes, staring at the empty fireplace, and fell to his knees, and sobbed.


	2. Chapter 2

***Christmas***

"PLEASE, Dad can we go over to the Potter's for Christmas?" Scorpius begged for the fifth time in as many minutes. Draco sighed, burying his face in his hands, he had been home all of ten minutes and already Draco had a headache. _Of COURSE bloody Albus Severus Potter had become best friends with Scorpius, _Draco thought. Why would a child of Harry Potter's EVER follow the rules? Not only had they become best friends; Albus was a Slytherin. Draco would have laughed when he heard, only the dawning realization that their friendship was no longer simply a mythological impossibility and now a foregone conclusion, he had instead turned to banging his head on the dining room table, hoping to make himself blackout.

Shortly after the sorting, the letters had come flooding in. _My best friend Albus… _Draco had sighed. _What was it about Malfoy’s and their obsession with Potters_, he wondered. His mother had told him stories any time his father was annoyed with him for talking about Harry, about how often Lucius had come home whinging about this upstart in the DMLE, James Potter who was making his life miserable. 

Sometime in October Scorpius had informed Draco that Molly had invited them to spend Christmas with Albus and their family at the Burrow. Draco had shuddered at the idea and shot it down almost immediately. But in true Slytherin fashion, Scorpius had been persistent. 

"I'm sorry Scorpius, but I promised your grandmother that we would spend Christmas with her."

"We _always _spend Christmas with grandmother," Scorpius whinged. "Al says his grandmum probably made me a sweater."

Draco snorted, "A hideous creation that you will under no circumstances wear around me," he replied. His afternoon tea was starting to get cold, and he just wanted to crawl into a hole with a bottle of firewhiskey.

"But…"

"Would you like me to return you to Hogwarts?" Draco asked. "Because I would be more than happy to tell the Headmistress that you changed your mind and decided to stay at the castle for the holidays."

Scorpius pouted folding his arms across his chest. Draco would have laughed. He looked like a furious cross between himself and Harry. He sighed at the thought. There had been many times during his son's childhood in which Draco had been reminded who his father was. And in most instances, it had served to make him smile, then grimace, and ultimately he would end up in his shower with a bottle of elf wine, sobbing.

"You're just as mean as grandfather," Scorpius said under his breath. Draco could feel his hand shaking on his teacup at his son's words. Scorpius was nothing if not a Slytherin, and he knew how to cut deep when necessary.

Sucking in a deep breath, Draco steadied his hand. "Fine. If you can get _both_ of Albus's parents to agree, you're more than welcome to spend Christmas with them."

Scorpius beamed, "You mean it?" he asked.

Draco shrugged, and smiled, taking a sip of his tea. He was nothing if not a Slytherin himself. _The Weaselette would never willingly take in a Malfoy_, he thought. _Let her be the villain for a change. _He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of it sooner. 

"Thanks, dad. I'll go tell Al," he said jumping up from the dining room table, running out of the room before Draco could even think to argue. 

Draco smirked to himself, finishing off his tea. "Aren't you a devilish one," his mother said, as she stepped out of the drawing-room.

"How long have you been here?" Draco asked.

Narcissa chuckled, "Long enough." Draco couldn't help but smile at that. He had never known his mother to laugh when he was growing up, but in the years since his father's death, the two of them had done a great deal of laughing.

"Yes well, I would hate to be seen as anything like Lucius," Draco replied.

Narcissa grinned, "You're far more cunning. Letting Scorpius get rejected by Mrs. Harry Potter is quite brilliant."

"I thought so," Draco said with a shrug.

"You know eventually he's going to figure it out," she said. Draco gave his mother a hard look then. "Draco, your son takes after you, fortunately for all involved, and not his clueless father. He's brilliant. But from what I've seen, he and Albus could be twins."

Draco snorted, "They were born close enough together I'm told."

"Sooner or later he's going to ask questions as to why they look alike."

"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it," Draco said finishing off his tea. It was cold and upsetting but it somehow fit his current demeanor.

"You've never lied to your son before," Narcissa said.

"I don't intend to start either. I'm not Lucius…"

"No, you're not. But you've also never been clever when it came to Potter."

Draco glared up at his mother then.

"They said yes!" Albus cried, running excitedly back into the dining room. Draco’s eyes widened. 

"B-both of them?"

Scorpius nodded excitedly. "Mr. Potter said he would love to have both of us over, and Mrs. Potter agreed." Draco’s teacup shattered in his hand splashing lukewarm tea all over his lap; Narcissa chuckled to herself. "Hi grandmother." Narcissa covered her face with her hand, laughing to herself. Draco glared at his mother.

"I don't believe I'll b able to make it Scorpius, but you may go yourself," Draco replied.

"But you have to come, dad, they'll be so disappointed. And Al's grandmother offered to make you a sweater," at this Narcissa laughed harder and Draco could only groan, cursing his luck under his breath. _Somehow he doubted anyone would be particularly disappointed if he didn’t show up. Save for Scorpius. _Draco sighed. _There was nothing for it. He would be spending Christmas with Harry Potter and his family. _

_How dreadful. _

*

Draco took a deep breath, preparing himself for whatever fresh hell would no doubt await him at the Burrow. He could almost see Lucius Malfoy rolling in his grave, and the thought gave him an odd sense of satisfaction.

_Now or never, _he thought as he grabbed a handful of floo powder, Scorpius had all but run through the floo seconds earlier. "The Burrow," he shouted, tossing the powder into the flames, and stepped into it.

Seconds later, Draco appeared in the Weasley's living room, feeling rather like he had just stepped into another dimension.

Several dozen redheads turned towards him, all looking him up and down, judging him. He swallowed nervously, desperately wishing he had taken that drink Nipsy had offered him earlier.

"Oh Draco dear, thank you for coming," Mrs. Weasley said, embracing him in a hug. Draco stared nervously, he was not particularly a hugger, but he didn’t know how politely say as much, so instead, he merely allowed himself to be hugged and prayed for it to end. 

"Alright, mum, let him go," Ron said after a moment. Draco could have kissed him. Mrs. Weasley pulled away and smiled.

"Al has just been going on and on about his friend Scorpius, and his father," Molly said.

Draco blushed then. "Thank you."

"Care for an eggnog?" Granger said appearing out of nowhere. Draco had never been so grateful to see her in his life.

"I would _love _it," he replied, following her into the kitchen. She smiled as they entered the kitchen and she handed him a small glass of eggnog. "Thanks.” The kitchen was far quieter, and Draco couldn't help but feel grateful for it.

"Scorpius really is a good kid," Granger said with a smile.

"Thank you," Draco said. "I did my best to ensure that he didn't grow up with the influences I did."

She nodded, "Rose told me. I admit when I first heard Scorpius was going to be attending I was a little anxious. I really didn't want her to have to deal with the things I did in school."

Draco hung his head then, "I know," he sighed. "For what it's worth I deeply regret everything I ever said to you growing up. I should never have..."

Granger held up a hand. "It's long since been forgiven," she said.

Draco looked up at her, "Really?"

Granger smiled, "After the war, I ended up seeing a psychologist." Draco stared, confused. "Muggle mind-healer," she said. "And they told me that the only way I was ever going to truly be free of that pain and torment was to figure out a way to forgive you. At first, I thought she was mad, and then I realized that if I held onto my anger and hatred that only let you win, and I sure as hell wasn't going to do that. So... I figured it out."

Draco couldn't help but laugh. "She sounds smart."

"She's brilliant. Honestly, I had to drag Harry to see her just to get him to some kind of normalcy."

Draco nodded, _five whole minutes before Potter came up, that must be some kind of record, _he thought miserably.

"He's forgiven you too," she said.

"That's nice," Draco replied downing his eggnog in one gulp. "I haven't forgiven him," and with that, Draco turned on his heel and made his way back into the living room to face the mob.

"Well well well, who do we have here," said a voice from behind Draco. Draco turned, there standing behind him was a handsome man, with long red hair held up in a bun, and deep brown eyes. Draco blushed. He didn't know _this_ Weasley.

"Malfoy," Ron said from behind the taller Weasley.

"So you're the famous Malfoy I've heard so much about," the fit Weasley said, holding out his hand. "Charlie." Draco took his hand then, it was strong and rough and it was all Draco could do not to swoon.

"The dragon tamer?" Draco asked. Everyone knew about Charlie Weasley.

"The one and only," Charlie replied with a wink. He leaned down then and whispered in Draco's ear. "Isn't Draco Latin for dragon?" he asked.

Draco swallowed, "Y-yes."

"And here I thought my skills wouldn't come in handy out here in the English countryside."

Draco shivered, staring up at him then. He heard rather than saw Ron huff, and turn around.

"Don't think even you could tame that dragon," he said under his breath as he left. Draco's face burned scarlet and Charlie chuckled.

"He underestimates my skills," Charlie replied. "I'm the best for a reason."

"You don't say," Draco said. 

Charlie grinned, a dangerous grin full of promise that made Draco's knees weak. "I've been known to bring even the most powerful dragon to heel when necessary.”

It was all Draco could do not to moan. "Aren't you a tease. Where exactly have they been hiding you?"

"Romania."

"Pity they sent the most attractive one away and left us with Ronald," Draco said. At this, Charlie laughed.

"Yes well, I'm here now. Care to have a seat? My lap and my face are wide open."

Draco blushed then, opening his mouth to speak when he felt someone glaring several feet away. Draco turned, there standing in the hallway was Harry Potter, glaring daggers at them. Draco smirked and turned towards Charlie. "I would love to sit with you," he said. Charlie took his hand, and lead Draco over to the couch, pulling the blond into his lap. He could almost hear Harry's pouting.

If anyone else had a problem with Charlie and Draco's flirting, no one made any mention of it. Less than an hour later, the family was called in for dinner, and Charlie had walked with his arm around Draco's waist, and pulled him into his lap at the dinner table, much to Harry's chagrin. The adults were all sat in the kitchen which had been expanded to fit them, and the kids were sat in the living room.

"Well, I see Charlie's made a friend," Arthur said. Harry snorted.

"It's just so wonderful to have everyone here for the holidays," Molly said with a smile. "I would like to thank our special guest for joining us this evening. Draco, I know that our family and yours haven't always gotten along, but with your son and my grandson I have hope that the future looks brighter than ever."

Draco smiled, "Thank you, Mrs. Weasley."

"Please, dear call me Molly."

Draco nodded, "Thank you, Molly." He could practically hear the grinding of Harry and Ron's teeth at that. He couldn't help but feel an odd sense of satisfaction at their disdain. Molly smiled too.

"Just wait till everyone goes to bed," Charlie whispered in Draco's ear then, moving just so, so that Draco could feel his hard length beneath his trousers. Draco nearly jumped.

"Everything alright over there?" Molly asked.

"Just, lost my balance," Draco replied quietly. Charlie snickered. Harry glared.

Christmas was already turning out far better than Draco ever could have hoped for. 


	3. Chapter 3

_I don’t know what to tell you this angsty tale has really caught my attention so here we go-- _

\--

Harry was restless, he hadn't slept well the night before and he needed to talk to someone. Glaring at Charlie's bedroom, he made his way down the stairs towards the kitchen hoping to find Hermione there. Molly had done her best to turn her daughter-in-law into a proper housewife, much to Hermione's and Ron's immense displeasure. Hermione's for the reason that it was _wholly _un-feminist, and Ron's because, though he adored his wife, she couldn't cook to save her life.

To Harry's relief, Hermione was in the kitchen, along with Molly, attempting to make breakfast for everyone. "Just whisk those eggs would you Hermione dear?" Molly asked.

Hermione glared at the back of her mother-in-law's head but did as she was told. "Oh Harry, good morning, we'll have breakfast ready well…" she frowned at the mess in the kitchen. "Soon," she said. Hermione gave Harry a pleading look then.

"Actually, could Hermione and I have the room for a minute?" he asked.

Molly eyed Hermione as she whisked the eggs, then looked at Harry. Harry offered her his best _pleading _look. Molly nodded and left the kitchen into the backyard. Harry exhaled gratefully leaning against the washbasin. Hermione heaved a sigh of relief and flicked her wand at the food.

"I don't know why I can't just use magic," she said annoyedly. "I swear she's trying to do my head in…"

"Scorpius is my son," Harry blurted out suddenly.

Hermione stopped talking and turned around to face Harry. "What?" Harry sighed, burying his face in his hands, and nodded. "Harry?" he didn't need to look up to know that her brow was furrowed in concern.

"I didn't know, not for sure until the start of term."

"Did Draco tell you…"

Harry shook his head, "He didn't have to. I can see it as plain as anything. Can't you?"

Hermione considered this for a moment, "Oh Harry," she sighed. "How…"

"Remember how I disappeared for a couple of hours after the battle?" Harry asked. Hermione gasped, clasping her hand to her mouth. "I was just so riled up. I had just died for the second time, and I felt... I don't even know how to describe it. I just wanted to take the edge off, and then I ran into Draco sneaking out of the dungeons and I just…" he shook his head. "Something came over me, and I shoved him against the wall and one thing lead to another, and that was that."

"So you mean… he was pregnant at his trial?" Harry nodded. "Oh, gods… what if you hadn't said anything, what if he'd gone to Azkaban… Scorpius might…" she trailed off.

"I know… I just keep thinking about how different things would have been if I'd known," he sighed.

Hermione stared at him. "Different how?" she asked. "It's not as if you would have married him." Harry was silent. "Would you?" Harry still didn't respond. How could he? The truth was, he was fairly certain he would have done. Not simply because it was the right thing to do, but because he would have wanted to.

"It doesn't matter. The point is, now I know and I can't _unknow _this piece of information and I just feel like, it's driving me mad."

Hermione merely nodded, somewhat speechless, "What are you going to do about it?"

Harry snorted, "Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"I already had this argument with him… he doesn't want me to have anything to do with Scorpius."

"Surely you have every right to know him."

"What difference does it make?" Harry asked, feeling totally defeated.

"You have a son that you only just learned about, I think it makes a great deal of difference," Hermione said.

"Try convincing Draco of that."

"I just might," Hermione said. "In the meantime, you're going to need to figure out how to tell your wife."

Harry sighed, "Gin's the least of my worries."

"Oh?" Hermione asked.

"She's barely ever home, she spends more time with the Harpies than she does with me or Al," he shrugged.

Hermione frowned, "Harry, I… I hate to ask you this, but, are you happy?"

Harry laughed at that, "No," he admitted.

Hermione sighed, "Then I think perhaps you'd better do something about that," she said. Harry nodded. _But what? _He wondered. "First things first, Scorpius and Draco will be here for presumably a few more hours. I think it might be worth it to have another conversation with Draco. At the very least, you can use the excuse that Al just wants to see his best friend." she smirked. "I should have known they were related. They're practically twins. I mean Scorpius even has your messy hair."

"I'm sure that infuriated Draco to no end," Harry laughed.

"Could you imagine him attempting to brush his hair and cursing you every time?" Hermione giggled.

Harry couldn't help but laugh harder at that, "Some of his facial expressions, I swear it’s like looking in a mirror. Sometimes he looks more like me than Al does…"

Hermione turned back towards the cooker when she caught sight of someone standing in the hallway, her smile fell. There, standing in the middle of the hall between the kitchen and the living room, was Ginny Weasley.

"Shit," Hermione hissed. She looked furious. Harry turned following Hermione's eye and his face fell.

"Harry?" Ginny asked, her voice dangerously calm. "What's going on?"

Harry sighed, "I…" he opened his mouth to speak when a creak on the staircase interrupted them. Seconds later, Draco stepped into the kitchen wearing nothing but a rather large t-shirt that read: _Romanian Dragon Sanctuary _on its front and a pair of black pants. Harry swallowed, trying not to stare at the long expanse of Draco's pale legs that were suddenly on display as he entered the kitchen, he looked around at the three standing there, gawking at him, then grabbed a mug for some coffee. Several minutes later, Charlie appeared behind him, wearing only a pair of baggy pajama bottoms, and snuck up behind Draco, wrapping his arms around Draco's waist.

Draco giggled, _he actually giggled, _"Charlie," he cried through his laugh, as the elder Weasley buried his bearded face into Draco's neck. Harry growled under his breath. He hadn't meant to, but the sight of his brother-in-law practically mauling his… Harry paused, son's best friend's dad, infuriated him more than he could possibly say.

"Do you two mind? It's not even six, some of us haven't had our coffee, and you're already snogging?" he spat.

Charlie laughed, sucking a love bite onto Draco's neck then. "Lighten up, oh brother of mine, no need to be so homophobic about it," Charlie teased, pulling Draco out of the kitchen with him. Harry glared at Hermione then. _Damn her teaching the Weasley's about homophobia. _He had half a mind to argue that he was _not homophobic thank you very much, he just didn't like snogging before breakfast. Especially when it was his brother-in-law snogging his son's bloody best friend's father. _Harry sighed. It was then, with the two of them gone, that Harry realized that Ginny was still standing there, glaring furiously at him. He groaned, _bugger._

"I'll leave you two to it then," Hermione said, walking so quickly out of the kitchen she might well have apparated. Harry was ready for the row. Ginny was notoriously hotheaded. It wouldn't be the first time things flew about the kitchen and smashed dangerously close to his head.

Only, this didn’t happen. Ginny remained dangerously quiet, not daring to say a word as she stood there, clearly waiting for Harry to speak first. Not that he knew what to say exactly. Part of him wanted to ask how much she had heard, but something told him that this would not be the wise question to ask at present.

"It's not what it sounded like," Harry said, inwardly cringing at how cliché that had sounded. 

Ginny scoffed."Try again," she hissed.

Harry sighed, scrubbing his face with his hands, "What do you want me to say?" he asked.

"Is Scorpius Malfoy your son?" she said by way of reply. Harry merely nodded.

For a long moment Ginny was silent, Harry knew how dangerous his wife's silence was, but he didn't dare speak. He didn't dare break the silence, lest he incur her wrath any further. "How?" she asked.

Harry swallowed. "Do you really want to know?"

"No," Ginny replied. "No, I don't. What I _want _to know, is how you could do this to me? To us? To our family!" she said, her voice suddenly getting louder. "You lied to me for all these years!"

"I didn't lie!"

"So what, you're not _really _gay then, you're just… half gay. Or just that one time?"

Harry groaned, "It's not that simple."

"Oh please, not that simple. I've never slept with a bloody woman, it seems pretty simple to me!" she yelled. Harry sighed, he didn't think this was the time to try and explain his own complicated struggles with his sexuality, it didn't really matter. "Did you ever love me?"

"Of course I did," Harry said without thinking. His eyes widened and Ginny nearly screamed.

"Do you love him?" she demanded.

"Gin please…"

"DO YOU LOVE HIM?" she screamed louder. Molly ran back into the kitchen then, and several more people appeared around the kitchen, looking very concerned. Ginny was sobbing now, glaring at Harry who merely stood there, silently hanging his head. "Get out," she yelled. "I want you out of this house! I want you out of our flat! JUST… GET OUT OF MY LIFE!" she screamed. Harry looked nervously at the rest of his family, who all looked confused. Before she could scream again, Harry pushed past them and made his way out of the kitchen and towards the living room, and vanished through the floo, as Ginny broke down in the kitchen and sobbed.

"What's all the fuss about?" Charlie asked as he and Draco appeared at the edge of the kitchen several moments after everyone else. Draco's eyes widened when he caught sight of Ginny Weasley, sobbing on her mother's shoulder. _She knows, _he thought, before she could catch sight of him, Draco turned, and ran up the staircase to throw on his clothes and wake up his son. The last thing he needed was a scene. He had barely tossed on his trousers and knocked on the door Al and Scorpius were sharing when he heard Ron roar from the kitchen.

"MALFOY! I'LL KILL HIM!"

Draco's heart raced, as he opened the door and scooped up his still sleeping son.

"Wha's wrong?" Scorpius asked through a yawn, as Draco closed the door with a bit of magic.

"We have to go," Draco said, and with that, he apparated them out of the Burrow and all the way back to Malfoy Manor, just as the bedroom door burst open. Draco’s legs trembled, and he collapsed from the magical exertion. He managed to place a cushioning charm on Scorpius before he fell unconscious and the world around him went black. 


	4. Chapter 4

Narcissa Malfoy sighed, standing over her son, as he came to, "You know it's not good to apparate such long distances," she said. Draco groaned, sitting up, he felt hungover. The room spun, and he was forced to lay back down. His mother tutted.

"I had to make a quick getaway," Draco replied, groggily.

"I take it the subject of Scorpius's lineage came up then?" she asked.

Draco groaned, "I wasn't there. But I saw the fallout."

"Ah," she nodded. "I take it Mrs. Potter was less than amused?"

"Mrs. Potter is about to be Ms. Weasley soon," Draco replied.

"Pity. Though I doubt she's dumb enough to leave the boy-who-lived, even if he did screw up, she'll look like the bad guy. Breaking the heart of the golden boy."

"Until they realize that the golden boy got a Death Eater up the duff," Draco replied.

"Don't be so crass," his mother hissed. "Besides, it was years ago."

"And yet I'm still a pariah," Draco replied, massaging his temples. So much for the superb Christmas, he had almost thought he might have. He hadn't even managed to get a proper shag out of it. Charlie had been eager to tease him and show off, but Draco, ever the proper Malfoy didn't feel quite right shagging in the Weasley household, not with so many people not nearly far enough away. Draco had been told by more than a few lovers that he was notoriously loud, often the loudest person they had ever been with. On some occasions, this had been cause for derision, and Draco had become entirely too self-conscious about it as of late. Not that he seemed capable of stopping it.

Either way, the last thing he needed was for someone other than Charlie to hear him, to say nothing of the fact that he tended to break through silencing charms.

"I'm sorry darling," Narcissa said after a moment, breaking Draco from his thoughts. He was grateful for it, he supposed. Better not to think so hard on his failings as of late.

"Thanks, mother," he said. "Scorp still asleep?"

Narcissa nodded, Draco sighed, at least there was something to be grateful for then. He didn't know how he would explain why they had run out so early in the morning. He wasn't sure he was prepared to see the look of both excitement and ultimate betrayal in his son's eyes at the revelation that his father was none other than Harry Potter and Draco had hidden it from him. "How do you suppose you'll tell him?" She asked.

Draco merely shrugged, it had never been a consideration before. He had never really _planned _on telling his son. It occurred to him, that even if Scorpius and Albus _hadn't _become friends, he would have eventually needed to tell him, it was inevitable the conversation would come up at some point, and he supposed it would have been better to have the conversation years ago. He was beginning to realize that by being secretive about this, he was no better than his father. "I guess..." He frowned, staring at the floor, wishing that the gaudy carpeting that one of his long-ago ancestors had chosen for the sitting room had any kind of answers hidden within its depths. It didn't, and Draco knew he would have to face it head on. "I'll just have to tell him the truth won't I?"

"How very noble of you. Your Gryffindor lover has rubbed off on you, I am most disappointed," Narcissa teased.

Draco snorted, "Hardly a lover."

"Call it what you will darling, but I suspect, there is a reason Ms. Weasley felt so threatened."

"We were young and stupid," Draco replied.

"You, my dear boy have never been stupid. Young perhaps, but never stupid. True you were a bit weak where Potter is concerned. But I suspect there's more there than you would like for there to be."

"Please don't start," Draco said with a groan. "I don't think I can handle some sort of conspiracy theory about how I’m secretly in love with Harry Potter," he said.

"Did I say that?" Narcissa asked. Draco groaned burying his face in his hands when a loud pop interrupted them. Draco looked up.

"Master Scorpius is waking up and asking for his father," their house elf said. Draco nodded and got to his feet. He paused as he reached the door to the study.

"Don't meddle," he said. His mother smiled deviously.

"Whatever do you mean darling?" She asked.

Draco rolled his eyes and left the room, the last thing he heard before he made his way toward the stairs was the sound of the floo roaring to life. _What is she planning? _He wondered, taking the stairs two at a time. As he reached the second-floor landing, Draco desperately tried to pull together his thoughts in the hopes of figuring out how best to explain the situation. Scorpius was young, to be sure, but he was hardly stupid. Taking a slow, deep breath Draco crossed the corridor and made his way towards his son's bedroom, rapping softly on the door.

"Come in," Scorpius replied. Draco stepped into his bedroom; for the first time in nearly twelve years, Scorpius looked entirely his son. Sitting in the middle of his too large bed, his arms folded across his chest looking furiously at his father. Draco would have laughed. Only he couldn't. "So it wasn't a dream then," Scorpius said as Draco crossed the bedroom to sit on the edge of his bed.

"No," Draco replied.

Scorpius frowned, "Is this because Harry's my real dad?" He asked.

Draco opened his mouth, but words failed him. "How did..."

"I'm not an idiot," Scorpius replied. "Al and I figured it out within twenty minutes of meeting."

"Oh," was all Draco could say. Now he _did _want to laugh. His mother was right, Scorpius was brilliant.

"Are you mad?"

Scorpius shrugged, "I want to get to know him," he said.

Draco frowned, he had been afraid of that. "Scorp I don't think that's..."

"You don't get to make that call," his son said cooly. "You hid my father from me." 

Draco nodded, "Please understand that I did it for your protection."

Scorpius gave his father a serious look then but nodded all the same. "I know," he said. "But I'm not a baby..."

"I know," Draco replied, he sighed. "Alright, what do you want to know?"

"Are you really going to tell me?"

"I promised myself I would be more transparent than my parents were," Draco said. "You deserve better than that.

Scorpius smiled, "Why aren't you guys together?"

Draco smirked, _of course, he had gone for the jugular immediately, _he thought. "Well, as you know, Harry and I weren't on the same side during the war. We didn't even like each other."

"You must have a little," Scorpius cut in, gesturing to himself.

Draco laughed at that. "You'd think but..." He shook his head. "I never wanted you to think you were an accident, but to say that I was surprised to learn I was pregnant was an understatement. It's not uncommon for wizards to become pregnant, necessarily, but usually, they have to try a bit harder than that. But Harry always was special. Always had to be one to break all the rules," Draco chuckled to himself. "We had seven years of tension between us, and by that time I guess we just needed some sort of release."

"Did you love him?"

Draco sighed, "It's complicated."

"Not really," his son replied. "Did you love him?"

Draco hadn't expected this particular line of questioning. "I don't know."

"Do you love him now?" Scorpius asked.

"I don't know," he said. Scorpius gave him a hard look, clearly disbelieving, Draco almost laughed again. "I never thought about it," he admitted. "I never gave myself the chance to. I knew it would never work out between us. After our... encounter, I walked away. I let him get on with his life, and I got on with mine."

Scorpius frowned at that, clearly not happy with his response. "Why did you chose Astoria?"

"Pureblood arrangements are made, nearly at birth," Draco replied. "Pansy was like my sister, so she was out, after the war, I was just trying to find some semblance of normal while I hid away the fact that I was pregnant. Astoria offered to take up the mantel of your mother."

"Did she know who my father was?" Scorpius asked.

Draco frowned, he didn't really know. "She never asked, and I never offered," he admitted. "She never judged me for my decisions, both to keep you and the fact that I'd gotten pregnant at all. But I think she suspected." Scorpius nodded. "I always wanted to be a parent, even if I never expected to be one so soon."

"I still want to see him," Scorpius replied. "I want... I want to spend the summers with him and Al."

Draco nodded, "Okay," he said. If Scorpius was surprised by his father’s lack of argument he didn’t show it. Draco smiled at his son. There was no point in arguing, he decided. He could no longer avoid Harry and Scorpius getting to know one another, so he would have to accept it. 

Shortly after New Years Scorpius returned to Hogwarts, Harry still hadn't tried to contact Draco, and if he was honest, he was grateful for that fact. The last thing he needed was another row. Charlie had been equally distant, a fact which had disappointed Draco though it didn't particularly surprise him. He was fairly certain were the shoe on the other foot he wouldn't have wanted anything to do with him either knowing that Potter had been involved.

_It was going to be a very long year_, he thought.


	5. Chapter 5

*SUMMER*

June came far faster than Harry had anticipated. He had received the letter from Scorpius and Al informing him that Scorpius had okayed it with Draco for him to spend the summer with them, and as the time came closer, Harry found himself increasingly nervous. It was one thing in theory to get to know his other son, but it was entirely different in practice. What if he and Scorpius had nothing in common? What if Scorpius hated him, and was furious at him for never trying to be there for him and his father? A million thoughts and worries raced through his mind.

"You're being too hard on yourself," Hermione had told him one afternoon at tea. She was the only one still speaking with him. It had caused something of a rift between herself and Ron, not that her job hadn't done that already. _How had everyone's life begun falling apart so spectacularly? _He wondered. "It's not as though you cheated on her. You were broken up before you even left to go hunting for Horcruxes." Harry nodded, Hermione was right as usual, yet he still couldn't help but feel as though he had done something wrong. "Don't misunderstand," she continued. "You screwed up by not telling her the two of you slept together from the beginning, but... I suppose I understand why you didn't."

Harry snorted, "It wasn't as if we were in love... it was a one time thing," he argued.

"That's what's so odd about it," Hermione said sipping her tea. "It's not very like you to just do that sort of thing without thinking about it. Not to mention who it was with. Perhaps that's something to examine with Dr. Krenshaw," she suggested. Harry snorted. He didn't even know why he still bothered to see Hermione's doctor. "You could do well talking to someone about it.”

"I'll think about it," Harry said, though he had no real intention of doing so.

To Harry's dismay, however, he couldn't seem to get Hermione's voice out of his head. Why _had _he chosen Draco of all people? He refused to believe it was because he secretly harbored any _actual _feelings towards the blond. Surely he had made the decision purely based upon proximity. Sure, he would have (in theory) married Draco if he'd known, but not because he actually loved him. Was it?

Harry made an appointment with Dr. Krenshaw a week later.

Dr. Krenshaw was a rare breed. He was technically a wizard, but he specialized in Muggle psychotherapy. It would be easy for him to take a memory and a penseive or even to simply pop into Harry’s mind with a legillimens, but he much preferred to have people discuss their problems instead. It was unnerving, but Harry pulled through all the same.

Harry stood at Platform 9 ¾, waiting for the train to arrive. He had never before felt such a mixture of excitement and nerves at the thought of seeing his other son without anyone else there. Taking a deep breath, Harry put on a smile, as the train pulled into the station.

"Hi dad," Al said waving from the window. Harry smiled, waving back at him.

"Hey kiddo," he replied. Scorpius smiled and offered a shy sort of wave. For a brief moment Harry wondered whether or not he intended to call him dad as well, how would he feel about that?

The train came to a stop and the students all began to exit Scorpius and Al came barreling towards him then, trunks in hand. Harry laughed, hugging them both. "Had a good year?" He asked.

"It was great," Al replied. Scorpius nodded. Harry smiled, and the three made their way through the barrier and back out into King's Cross station.

"I'll just pull the car around," Harry said. Scorpius eyed Al.

"What's a car?" He whispered.

Harry chuckled, summoning the car with a wave of his wand. Seconds later, a black sedan drove up beside them, and the doors opened of their own accord. Scorpius's eyes widened and he looked rather impressed. "Brilliant," he said.

Harry couldn't help but beam proudly, as the boys climbed into the backseat, it was like having twins, he thought with a laugh, he could only hope that they weren't as much of a handful as Fred and George had been. The fact that he had yet to be called into Hogwart’s during the school year seemed to be a good sign. 

_Number 12 Grimauld Place was not the most welcoming of properties_, Harry thought as they made their way into the heart of London. It was not ideal by any means, but he was grateful he had kept it.

"I know this place," Scorpius said as they arrived. "My grandmother was talking about it, the old Black house isn't it? She was furious when she heard her cousin had left it to you."

Harry chuckled. "I can imagine she wasn't too thrilled to know you were my son either," he said. It was the first time he had really said the words aloud, and hearing them felt strangely fitting. Scorpius smirked.

"Dunno, she never said anything to me about it."

"I'm sure Draco got an earful."

"What should he call you then?" Al asked.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Well he's already got his dad... what would you be?"

Harry froze. "Well, er... I suppose whatever he wanted to call me," Harry said.

Al turned to face Scorpius then. Scorpius pondered this. "I think Mr. Potter is alright for now," he said.

Harry smiled and nodded, "I think that would be perfectly fine." For his part, Al seemed to be taking the knowledge that he had a brother who was nearly the same age as himself rather well, considering he had always said he never wanted a sibling whenever asked. It was just as well, Harry hadn’t really wanted to try for another child with Ginny. 

"Come on, let's go pick a room," Al said running out of the car. Harry chuckled as the two raced after one another up the stoop and into Grimauld Place.

"Don't upset Mrs. Black!" Harry called after them.

"I'm a relative, she'll love me," Scorpius replied. Harry couldn't argue with that.

*DM*

Draco sighed, tapping his fingers on the edge of his desk, the Manor was disturbingly silent, the last few months since Christmas had been uncomfortable at best. He had tried to explain to Charlie the situation but the dragon tamer had returned to Romania rather quickly and Draco, though he had little else to do, had opted not to follow him. Pulling himself away from the dining table he decided to fire call Pansy. If he couldn't have a dragon tamer, he supposed he could at least go to a club with his best friend. He was barely twenty-nine after all. He had the entire summer in which to enjoy himself. And enjoy himself he would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this please consider [subscribing to my e-newsletter for all the latest about my original fiction.](https://mothermalfoy.tumblr.com/news) Coming soon. :D


	6. Chapter 6

"Mr. Potter?" Scorpius's voice called from the other side of Harry's study. He had decided to take an extended leave from the Ministry, but he had taken to doing some consulting work from home for the DMLE in the interim.

"Come in," Harry said. Scorpius stepped inside, looking rather timid and Harry realized almost instantly that the conversation he had known was coming was finally here. "Have a seat," he said. Scorpius took the seat in front of him with a sigh. "I'm sure you must have a lot of questions for me."

Scorpius nodded, "My father said that it was sort of a one-time thing between you because you weren't really friends, but I was wondering... I mean... surely you must have felt something for each other."

Harry nodded. "Your dad and I had a very complex relationship," he admitted. "He's right, we definitely weren't close. Honestly, we hated each other's guts for a long time there. Actually, I guess there must have been something else on top of that because no matter what we did we were always drawn to one another." Scorpius nodded. "We were dumb kids... thrown into situations far beyond our control and that we never should have been thrown into and honestly we both made a lot of stupid mistakes. I almost killed him once, did he tell you that?" Scorpius's eyes widened.

"No."

Harry sighed, "It was in our sixth year. I had sort of taken to stalking him... and I found him in the bathroom crying. I had never seen him cry before. There was a part of me... that wanted to comfort him. It felt so absurd at the time, I was so afraid of what that might mean or what that might say about me. He was afraid of what I might do, so he tried to hex me, and I hexed back. Only I didn't know what the spell was meant to do. It cut him severely, and he nearly bled out on the floor. If Snape hadn't been there... I don't think he would have made it." 

Scorpius stared at him but said nothing for a long moment. Harry sighed. "Why did he get pregnant then? If you both hated each other so much?"

"I've been wondering that myself," Harry admitted. "According to Hermione, that's Al's aunt... and I suppose yours too actually. There's a certain sort of magic that occurs between two people during..." He cleared his throat. "Well..."

"Intercourse?" Scorpius said.

"Yes, that. And, I seem to possess a certain magical strength, that when combined with Draco's and my feelings for one another. Well, it created you."

Scorpius looked rather pensive at this. "So your hatred for one another formed me?"

Harry frowned, "In a way, but it seems pretty clear to me that your father loves you dearly."

"What about you?" Scorpius asked. "I mean I get you don't really know me all that well, but if you had known... would you have stayed?" 

Harry nodded feeling all at once entirely guilty, "Of course I would have stayed."

"Why didn't you try and stop him? Why didn't you try and get him back? Why did you just let my dad go?" Scorpius asked, tears welling up in his eyes.

Harry frowned. "I was a dumb kid," he admitted. "After it happened, I was terrified about what it meant. I had never been with a guy before, and here I slept with not just a guy but someone I had spent years at school hating. So I ran away too. From your father, from myself. From my sexuality. Al's mother felt like a safe place to run because we had already been dating."

"Did you love her?" He asked.

"I thought I did," Harry admitted solemnly. It was the first time he had ever said it out loud. "I just... wanted a normal life. I had spent my entire life with everything being dictated by someone else, Dumbledore, Voldemort, the Dursley's... I just wanted to be normal. To have a family, and this quiet life. So I did. But I wasn't really happy. Don't get me wrong, I love Al and I wouldn't trade him for anything... but I should never have married his mother."

Scorpius nodded. "Do you love my dad?" He asked.

Harry swallowed. "Yes," he said finally giving voice to the secret he had held for all these years. Dr. Krenshaw had helped him realize his feelings, and it was oddly cathartic to be able to admit it now. "Yes, I do. More than I could ever possibly say."

Scorpius nodded again, "You should tell him," he said, standing up then.

"Scorp, kiddo... I don't think..."

"I think he loves you too," and with that, Scorpius left Harry alone with his thoughts.

Harry considered this.

He didn't sleep well that night, his mind kept repeating Scorpius's words at him over and over again. _I think he loves you too. _Harry sighed.

A week later, he had convinced Hermione to watch the kids for a couple of hours.

"Going out?" She asked.

Harry gave her a look. "I just need to see about something," he said.

Hermione smirked and with that Harry apparated away.

Malfoy Manor was a foreboding presence, even after all these years, Harry noted as he appeared at the front door. He knocked, not really sure what to expect; the last thing he expected was to find Narcissa Malfoy answering her son's door in the middle of the afternoon on a Tuesday.

"Mr. Potter, what can I do for you?" She asked.

"Oh, Mrs. Malfoy... I was... hoping I could maybe speak to Draco," he said.

"I'm afraid my son's just gone out," Narcissa replied. "Can I leave a message?"

"Gone out?" Harry asked.

"With a gentleman, he met a few days ago while he was out with Pansy."

"Oh," Harry said with a frown. He was too late, Draco was seeing someone.

"Shall I tell him you called?" Narcissa asked. Harry shook his head and made to turn around. "Fine then, you offer me no choice," she said. Harry froze, turning around his Auror instincts kicking into high gear. "I'm calling in my life debt." Harry's eyes widened.

"Pardon?"

"I saved your life Mr. Potter," she said. "According to ancient magical law, that means I am owed a life debt."

"I don't..."

"You must do what I ask of you. Mr. Potter—in order to fulfill the debt, at my discretion." Harry merely stared at the elder Malfoy, confused. "You let my son go once," she said. "You will not make the same mistake twice." Harry merely blinked, but before he could ask what she meant by that, Narcissa had turned on her heel. "You'd do well to check Diagon Alley, I heard something about tea and shopping," and with that, Narcissa Malfoy closed the door, leaving Harry to decipher the meaning of her words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this please consider [subscribing to my e-newsletter for all the latest about my original fiction.](https://mothermalfoy.tumblr.com/news) Coming soon. :D


	7. Chapter 7

"A life debt is serious Harry," Hermione said upon his return to Grimauld Place. "Especially with purebloods."

"You can't be serious. If anything I saved _their _lives."

"She called it in first," Hermione explained. "Life debts only activate when a witch or wizard calls them in. Since she called yours in, you must repay her."

"Or what, I die?" Harry asked, feeling somewhat frantic.

"Not quite," Hermione explained. "but it's not good either. It's very old magic... not dark magic per se, but it's almost never used. She could do whatever she wants if the debt isn't repaid." Harry could only imagine what Narcissa would do with that kind of power over him.

"So what do I do?"

"What did she ask of you?"

"She said I let her son go once, and that I wouldn't make the same mistake twice," Harry replied.

"Well that's it then isn't it. She wants you to go after Draco."

"He's seeing someone," Harry argued. Hermione gave him a look then. "He hates me."

"As well he has every right to. But maybe if you two talked it out..."

"I tried that back in September," Harry said. "Look, why does she even want this? It's not as if she ever liked me."

"You didn't like Draco either and you still managed to create a son with him."

"That's hardly the same," Harry tried to argue. Hermione merely snorted.

"Right well... do what you want. But as long as you have a life debt called on you, she can make your life a living hell. You can be sacked from the Ministry for refusing to repay a life debt you know."

"Not much of a threat that, is it?" Harry replied. He hated working for the Ministry. It seemed that every choice he had made since Draco had walked away had been a complete and total mistake. The irony of this fact was not lost on him. Harry sighed, "Right well I guess I don't really have a choice then do I?"

Hermione offered him a soft smile, "You'll have to get somebody else to watch the boys tonight, I've got a date," she said.

"Good for you," Harry said with a grin. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"It is good for me, I know that you feel guilty for Ron and my marriage ending but honestly it was a long time coming... I don't know what I was thinking," she sighed. "I adore Rose, as I know you adore Al but I can't help but think we both really screwed up here."

Harry laughed, "Understatement of the century."

"How did we get it so wrong?" She asked. "I'm not used to getting things wrong." 

"I think considering the seven years that preceded our marriages we all had a lot of shit go down and we were desperate to have a normal life." Hermione sighed.

"I hate it," she said. "You're right of course, but I still hate it. I can't help but feel like we wasted the better part of our twenties."

Harry shrugged, "I could see that but then I didn't anticipate living past seventeen so really I consider it a win."

"Oh, Harry," she said with a frown. Harry waved her off. "Right I guess I have to find a sitter for the boys... Molly's out, Ron's out..." He sighed. "What I wouldn't give for any other family," he sighed.

"What about Narcissa? She's asking you to do this after all, surely she'd want to visit her grandchild."

Harry snorted. It was his only option, Kreacher had died a year ago, and Hermione refused to let him have another house elf, not that he particularly wanted one, but it had become somewhat convenient for him to have him around.

Calling Narcissa proved a harrowing experience, "Mr. Potter what a pleasant surprise, what brings you to call?" She asked. Harry took a deep breath, forcing himself to ask swallow his pride.

"I was wondering if you couldn't watch the boys for a couple of hours while I go out."

"I would love to watch my grandchildren," she said with a grin. Harry was grateful for this. "I'll come through now." Before he could say anything more, Narcissa came through the floo. "Draco will be in the study, he's bored out of his skull so I suggest you go see him now," she said, and with that she made her way towards the door, floating almost ethereally as she walked. Harry wasn't sure how he felt about having Narcissa Malfoy in his home, then again, it was her home first, he realized. "I've missed this place. Is my Aunt's portrait still here?" She asked.

"Ornery as ever," Harry replied.

"I should have a talk with her," Narcissa said with a smile. "I might be able to coax her down."

"If you could do that, I'd marry you."

Narcissa laughed, "Tempting but I'm currently seeing someone."

"Oh?" Harry hadn't heard about that.

"Kingsley," she said, and with that, she disappeared from the room leaving Harry alone with his thoughts. He didn't want to think too hard on his former boss currently dating Narcissa Malfoy. Frankly, he wasn't sure what to do with that information, though he wondered if Draco knew. It was hard to tell how close he and his mother were. Shaking his head, Harry grabbed some floo powder and stepped into the fireplace, calling out Malfoy Manor, and vanished.

*DM*

Draco was bored.

He had been trying to find something to occupy his time for hours before his date, and he found there was nothing really to do. He had read nearly every book in his father's library. Gone over the Malfoy accounts and vaults across several banking instructions across London. As it turned out, for all of his father's anti-Muggle rhetoric the Malfoy's contained substantial holdings in several Muggle Banks across England, as well as some investments in something called stocks in various Muggle companies. This had, Draco realized, been the reason that the Malfoy coffers had not been completely drained by the Ministry's better efforts to seize their fortunes after the war. His father had taken great pains to keep his assets a secret, and Draco had only stumbled upon them accidentally after his father's demise in Azkaban.

Financially speaking they had more money in Muggle London than they did in Gringotts anymore. Not that Draco entirely understood how to access said money or even what it could be used for. Granger's Ministry had been working to bring Muggle technology into Diagon Alley with something called a credit card, along with computers, and mobile phones. It was all a lot of rubbish words, but if it meant that he could access his father's holdings in the Muggle world then he would gladly embrace it.

Reading through his father's ancient ledger, Draco flipped the page, deciding to examine the accounts for the umpteenth time. It was hardly interesting, but at least it gave him something to do.

A knock on the door to his study caused him to look up, closing the ledger, he stored it underneath his desk, "Come in," he said. He hated the thought of keeping something a secret from his mother, but considering the fact that the Ministry took to visiting without any sort of warning on a regular basis, he supposed the less people that knew the better. To Draco's dismay, however, his mother wasn't who entered his study. "Potter," Draco groaned. "To what do I owe this dubious pleasure? Bringing my son back? Is he tired of you already?" Draco could only hope.

"No," Harry said calmly. "I was actually, sort of hoping that we could talk."

Draco huffed, "About?"

"Us," Harry replied, crossing the study toward's Draco's desk.

"Are you quite ill Potter? What us?"

"I've been thinking," Harry said.

"Always dangerous."

"We should raise our children together."

"So you are mad then," Draco replied.

"Scorpius adores his brother, as does Al, I hate the thought of separating them, and I know you can't stand the idea of me keeping them both for the summer."

"I was respecting my son's wishes," Draco said through clenched teeth.

"Which I admire," Harry said. "So why don't we just raise them together."

"What and live in the same house?"

"The Manor's big enough," Harry said with a shrug.

"The Manor? You expect me to move _you _into MY home?" Draco said. "Why on earth would I do such a thing?"

"Because it's what's best for our children."

"Stop saying _our _children like that. There is my child and your child. They are not OUR children. Just because you happened to get me up the duff twelve years ago does not make Scorpius YOUR son. No matter how much you would like to believe it so."

Harry sighed, "Draco please... just give me a chance."

"Why should I?"

"Because..." Harry trailed off. It was now or never, he was already losing the conversation and he realized that if he didn't say what he really felt now it would only end badly. "Because I love you."

Draco's eyes widened. "How dare you, Harry Potter," he shrieked. "You think just because you say that you love me that I should just what forgive you? Pretend as though the last twelve years didn't happen? Give me one good reason!"

Harry swallowed, "I'm sorry," he said. Draco snorted. "I screwed up. Letting you go was the biggest mistake of my life, and I have regretted it ever since that day. Nothing in my life has gone right since I let you go," he admitted. "I married someone I didn't really love, I took a job that I hate, I did everything that I promised myself I would never do, and all I know is that when I saw Scorpius and I realized he was my son I felt as though I had a second chance. That maybe I could start over, and live the sort of life that I could be proud of. That my parents could be proud of. That would make me happy."

Draco sighed, "Well guess what, I'm not here to be your second chance or your second choice. I won't pretend I didn't love you... if I'm honest I can't say that apart of me doesn't love you still... but that doesn't take away from the fact that you don't get to just come into my life and decide to throw things completely out of orbit for me. You don't get to just appear out of nowhere and decide that if you say you're sorry, or that you love me that that suddenly erases the last twelve years. You don't _get _a do-over Potter. It's too late for that." Harry frowned, and nodded. "Look, I don't... hate you, despite my best efforts. And Scorpius does want a relationship with you, and I can respect that. So... I will agree to split custody. You can have him during the holidays, and for the first month and a half of summer. I want him back here by the second week of July."

Harry nodded. "Okay," he said quietly. And just like that, he left. Draco sighed, collapsing into his chair behind his desk, he had never wanted so desperately to be left alone. 


	8. Epilogue

*Six Years Later*

Hogwarts graduations had not always been a particularly special affair. Up until the war, they hadn't really been celebrated at all, students would receive their NEWT scores and perhaps a small diploma and that was usually it. These days however graduations were a far grander affair, it was the one time parents were allowed to come to the school to see their children. Provided of course they were witches and wizards of course. 

Draco could hardly believe his son was already graduating from Hogwarts. It had seemed like only yesterday he had left on the train. The last six years had passed exceptionally quickly, though not without problems. After word had gotten out that Scorpius was Harry's son, the Prophet had had a field day. No less than three dozen articles had been written on the subject in the Prophet alone, to say nothing of the various other magical papers that still tried to report on one story or another.

_ **Did Harry cheat on Ginny?** _

_ **Chosen One gay?** _

_ **Death Eater to blame?** _

Surprisingly few articles centered around Draco, though one or two in some of the more unfortunate periodicals did like to beg the question of whether or not Draco had somehow placed Harry under the Imperius curse. To Draco's surprise, Harry had been the first one to debunk these rumors and he'd somehow managed to take the majority of the criticism and blame onto himself.

The two had become… if not friendly over the last few years, at the very least cordial. They tended to see one another during the odd holiday whenever the boys insisted that they come together, but it wasn't as though they were meeting for afternoon tea, and the question of whether or not they would ultimately unite which nearly every paper had been gossiping about for years, had never come. Eventually, the boys had gotten over this.

Draco had dated off and on, but there was never anyone special in his life. Harry, on the other hand, had remained single following his divorce. Hermione had remarried, Ginny had remarried, even Ron was seeing someone… but Harry didn't. He would never say exactly why, but Draco was fairly certain he knew the reason.

"Can't believe our boys are graduating," Harry whispered as McGonagall called out the students names.

"Albus Severus Potter-Malfoy," Professor McGonagall said. Draco cringed, clapping all the while.

"I can't believe they changed their names," Draco replied with a sigh. They had made the change the moment they'd turned seventeen.

"Scorpius Hyperion Potter-Malfoy," Professor McGonagall called.

Harry shrugged, "I don't know, it's cute. Kind of nice to see our names together like that."

Draco snorted, "It was one thing when they were twelve, but it just seems absurd now."

Harry eyed him. "It's not too late you know."

"Too late for what?" Draco asked barely paying attention. Scorpius had walked off the stage so quickly Draco was certain he missed him. He frowned.

"Us," Harry replied.

Draco turned towards him then. "I hardly think now is the time for this conversation."

"Then when? We're not getting any younger."

"Speak for yourself Potter, I have age potions that can keep me looking this gorgeous for the next century."

"You were always beautiful," Harry said.

"Save it, Potter, you knocked me up once. You're not doing it again." Draco said rolling his eyes.

"You know Scorpius told me when he was eleven that he thought you loved me back."

"That little lying brat…"

"Was he?"

Draco sighed, "What do you want me to say Potter?"

"Neither of us are married or dating," Harry said.

"Just because your love life is tragic does not mean mine is," Draco snapped.

"I know you're not seeing anyone," Harry replied.

"And?"

"And, go out with me," Harry said.

Draco snorted, "Are you mad?"

"Our kids are grown, we've been able to be cordial for a few years now…"

"Cordial does not equal dating material," Draco snapped cutting him off.

Harry sighed, "Draco what more do I have to do to prove that I'm serious? I've spent the last six years paying penance what more do you want from me?"

"You know what I want," Draco said. "For you to leave me alone. No one asked you to pay penance for anything. No one _asked _you to prove that you were serious… frankly, I don't really care if you mean it or not. Shockingly, Potter, not everything has to do with you!" he hissed.

The room was silent, and Draco realized that all eyes were currently on them. Professor McGonagall glared down at them from the podium and Draco's face flamed red. He was mortified. He wanted nothing more than to vanish into the ground.

As the ceremony came to a close, Draco all but ran out of the Great Hall, Harry fast at his heels, Harry caught up with him quickly and grabbed his arm to stop him. Draco groaned, wanting to scream.

"What?" Draco demanded.

"Did you know your mother called a life debt on me?" Harry asked.

Draco laughed, "So that's what all this has been? You've been trying to ask me out because you're an idiot?"

Harry stared blankly. "What?"

"A life debt? That's just some pureblood bullshit we use to get people to do what we want. "

"Hermione said…"

"Obviously it's written about so people believe in it! It's not real. Did she ever once get you to do anything because of it?"

"I mean…" Harry blinked totally confused.

"It's a miracle my son is in any way intelligent," Draco said with a sigh. "Well good news, your life debt is canceled, are we done here? Because the way I see it now that our children are grown we have no reason to…" Harry growled, and pulled Draco towards him. Before Draco could argue he wrapped his arm around his hips and kissed him, silencing Draco for the moment.

Draco didn't know what to do. It was not the worst kiss of his life, but he could hardly _admit _that. With all the strength he possessed, Draco shoved Harry off of him, just as other parents began to spill out of the castle.

"Don't ever do that to me again," Draco hissed, storming off. Harry sighed staring after him as Draco disappeared as far away from Harry as he could possibly get.

Harry sighed, staring after him. _This was it, _he thought. Draco was out of his life forever. Though they would still see each other very occasionally because of their sons, it would never again be alone.

Six months later, Draco got married.


	9. Bonus: Mid-Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So basically this takes place directly after the Hogwart's graduation and between the 6 mos when Draco get's married.

“So, dad, Al and I have decided we’re going to get a place together in London,” Scorpius said, shortly after their graduation had ended. Draco blinked up at his son from the couch, his mind had been elsewhere. _Harry Potter had kissed him_, he shuddered at the thought. He was well and truly over him, he realized somewhat happily. Though he would have to give his mother a piece of his mind for interfering after he had told her not to.   
“Hmm?” Draco asked.   
“Are you alright?” Scorpius asked, sitting beside him.   
Draco sighed, “I’m fine,” he said.   
“Are you going to be okay in this big house all by yourself?” Scorpius asked. Draco smiled, he looked more and more like Harry every day. He even had his voice. Draco smiled giving his son a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be fine. As a matter of fact, I think I’m going to travel.”   
“Travel?” Scorpius asked.   
Draco smiled, feeling as though he had just come up with the most brilliant plan of his entire life, “Yes. I think it’s time I leave the manor for a while,” he said. Scorpius looked a little surprised at this but smiled at his father all the same.   
And just like that, Draco Malfoy found himself on the train to Romania. It was impulsive and entirely un-Slytherin and yet, he didn’t care, now that he was nearing 40, he no longer wished to base his entire life around a house at a school he had attended a lifetime ago. He may have been a Slytherin proudly then, but he was Draco now. Not defined by any house. Malfoy, Slytherin, or otherwise.   
Despite his desire to separate himself from his past, Draco had rather missed train travel and the train between the UK and Romania, while long, and arduous had given Draco time to think and plan. Draco was brilliant after all, and stunningly gorgeous, and though he was not entirely sure he was prepared for a life at a dragon sanctuary for the long term, he wanted to give it a try. He owed himself at least that much, he thought. 

Several days later, found Draco in Romania at last, he had apparated from the train station to the approximate location of Charlie's Dragon sanctuary.   
Draco swallowed nervously, looking up at the sign that read: Weasley Dragon Rescue with a dragon underneath it, he only hoped that Charlie might still want to see him, or otherwise, that he hadn’t married. Sucking in a deep breath, Draco made his way across the compound, towards the impressive looking brick house. He still didn’t know what had possessed him to come all this way, and yet as he approached the door, heart racing in his chest, Draco couldn’t help but be proud of himself. Even if it didn’t end well, he would be proud of his decision. Draco knocked on the door of the house and waited. But there was no reply, Draco frowned, knocking again, he wasn’t sure what he had expected, but to Draco’s dismay, Charlie didn’t answer the door. No one did, turning around, Draco sighed, making his way across the compound. He had barely made it several feet before a rather large white dragon had swooped down from the sky right before him. Draco’s eyes widened, he nearly screamed, when he noticed Charlie sitting atop the dragon.   
“Whoa there boy,” Charlie said as he dismounted from the dragon, giving him a pat on the nose. Draco shivered, blushing slightly as he stared at the shirtless dragon tamer standing before him. He was fit as ever, though he had a bit of grey in his hair and his beard now. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the blond dragon,” he said with a smile. “What brings you all the way out here?” he asked.   
Draco blushed, “I… I never t-thanked you, for being so kind to me all those years ago at the Burrow.” Charlie eyed him, not responding, and giving Draco a look that made him feel nervous. “And to apologize,” Draco added. “For running out like that.”   
Charlie raised an eyebrow, “Were your owls all busy?” he asked.   
Draco realized how stupid he sounded, “No, but I felt like I should say it in person. I’m sorry,” he said.   
Charlie shrugged, “Once I got the story from mum, I figured you and Harry getting together would be inevitable,” Charlie said.   
Draco sighed, “So did Scorp.”   
“But you never did, did you?” Charlie asked.   
“Nope,” Draco replied. “Honestly, you’re the one I haven’t been able to get out of my head all these years,” he admitted, somewhat sheepishly.   
“Is that so?” Charlie asked, with a grin.   
“You made me feel, attractive, and desirable,” Draco replied.   
“You are, attractive, and desirable, Draco,” Charlie said taking a step closer towards him. “But I want to make something clear,” he said. Draco nodded, looking up at the taller man. “This is my life. I have no desire for the city, and I have no intention of leaving.”   
“I understand,” Draco said.   
Charlie eyed him, “You’ve always been rather Posh, you think you can handle life with a dragon tamer?”   
Draco smiled, “I’d certainly like to try,” he said.   
Charlie grinned, making his way over to him, wrapping his arm around Draco’s waist. “You know I thought about you a lot too?” Charlie said as he escorted Draco into his home.   
“Oh?” Draco asked somewhat nervously. The door opened and the two made their way into it, it was cozy, Draco thought, and warm, not that he had much time to pay attention to his surroundings, no sooner than the door had shut behind them, Charlie had pounced, pressing Draco up against the door.   
Charlie grinned, “Especially when I was wanking, I thought about how good your lips felt wrapped around my cock, how badly I wanted to hear the sounds of your moans as I ate that tight little arse of yours, and fucked you into the mattress,” he whispered in Draco’s ear.   
Draco gasped, “Fuck,” he said.   
Charlie chuckled, “That’s the idea babe. I’m gonna fuck you so good, and so deep, and come inside you so hard, you’ll forget anyone else ever touched you.”  
Draco whimpered at that, “Oh, gods, please,” he begged.   
Charlie smirked, “Please, what?” he growled in his ear, sliding his hands over the curve of Draco’s arse.   
“Fuck me,” Draco said breathlessly. Charlie grinned, lifting Draco into his arms, and carried him over to the bed, dropping him down on top of it. Whatever Draco had expected, the feeling of the redhead above him, pinning him to the bed, about to fuck him senseless was more exhilarating than he could have possibly imagined. Charlie leaned down, pressing his lips to Draco’s, softly at first, coaxing Draco’s mouth open and slipping his tongue inside. Draco gasped, it had been so long since he had just kissed like this that Draco felt certain he might come far too quickly if he wasn’t careful. Charlie, however, didn’t seem to care much for moving at any faster pace, as he kissed down Draco’s jaw and towards his throat, sucking a love bite onto it, Draco moaned, arching his back at that. Charlie grinned, “Such a good boy,” he purred.   
Draco blushed, whining a little as Charlie’s hands explored beneath his shirt, teasing over his nipples. “Needy boy too, eh?” Charlie asked.   
“It’s… been a while,” Draco admitted.   
Charlie nodded, “I’ll take care of you, that I promise,” he said, tearing open Draco’s shirt, and laving his tongue across Draco’s nipples. Draco moaned, arching his back into Charlie’s mouth at that. Charlie grinned, “So responsive.”   
“S-sorry if I’m a bit loud,” Draco replied.   
Charlie chuckled, “Baby, we’re in the middle of the Romanian forest, moan as loud as you want. Frankly, it’s a turn on. Knowing how much pleasure I’m giving you.”   
Draco felt himself blushing down his chest at that, Charlie for his part, merely continued licking and sucking his nipples, adding little love bites across his chest and down his stomach. Draco shivered, still not totally sure he could let himself go as he wanted. After a moment, Charlie moved so they were face to face once more. He smiled down at Draco, and slid in between his legs, grinding himself against Draco. Draco gasped, feeling incredibly turned on at the feeling of Charlie’s hard length against his own. “That’s it, baby, let yourself go,” Charlie said, grinding against him more, the friction was exquisite, and Draco’s breathing was beginning to turn ragged, he wanted to come so badly, and feeling Charlie above him was not helping. Charlie leaned down, increasing his pace, and whispered in Draco’s ear. “I want you to come in your pants for me baby,” he said. Draco shivered at that. “I want you to come just from me grinding on top of you, imagining how good it will feel to have this thick cock deep inside you.” He purred.   
Draco whined and moaned, “Fuck, I—I’m so close,” he said.   
“Good,” Charlie replied. “Come for me,” he growled. Draco gasped, breath ragged as he came hard, still inside his trousers, from Charlie’s ministrations. He moaned, louder than he had in a long time as Charlie rocked him through it, kissing his lips as he did so. Charlie shuddered on top of him, grinning, and kissed the tip of Draco’s nose. “Fuck that was beautiful,” Charlie replied. “Now then,” he said. “On your stomach.” Draco moved quickly doing as he was told, while Charlie made quick work of his trousers and pants all in one go. Draco shivered, not sure what to expect, Charlie kissed his shoulder blade, and dragged his tongue down Draco’s spine, towards his arse. Draco shivered with anticipation. It had been far too long, he thought, but he was glad it was going to be with Charlie. 

***3 Months Later* **

  
Draco sighed happily, penning a letter to Pansy, it was nearing one in the morning, and Charlie was fast asleep after another furious few hours of lovemaking, Draco was far too wired to sleep now, shivering, he picked up a quill.   
_Dear Pansy, _  
_Sorry, I’ve been out of it for a while, I’m sure mum told you by now I’ve left England to find myself, and find myself I have. Or rather, I’ve found something better. Have you ever made love on the back of a dragon as it flies majestically through the night air? I highly recommend it. I can’t remember the last time I felt so happy, so free, so, loved. I’m madly in love Pans, and you know the best part? No one looks at me funny here, everyone is kind to me, they smile at me, whenever we go out together, people don’t treat me like I’m the scum of the earth, they don’t spit at me, even the dragons adore me. I’m not saying to expect me to elope or anything, but… I know if Charlie asked, I would say yes. I don’t quite know how I feel about becoming a Weasley, but Charlie is truly something special. Hope you’re having an amazing time over there. _  
_All my Love, _  
_Draco. _  
Draco sighed, as he wrapped up the note on the leg of an owl and sent it off towards Pansy. Turning around, Draco nearly jumped to find Charlie standing over him with a smirk. “Would you want to elope? Because, I may have been thinking about asking you to marry me,” Charlie said.   
Draco’s eyes widened. “Really?”   
Charlie nodded, “Of course, babe, how could I not?”   
“We hadn’t talked about it, and it’s only been a few months.”   
Charlie grinned, wrapping his arms around Draco’s waist, “Babe, I love you, and I’m all in. The dragons love you, why not?”   
Draco blushed, “Is that your proposal?” he asked, “Because look I know I’ve changed a lot but I’m going to need a bit…”   
Charlie dropped to his knee then, summoning a black box from beneath the bed. “I may have already spoken to your mother about this, and got the Black family ring,” he said.   
Draco’s eyes widened, as Charlie opened the black velvet box and looked up at Draco, “Draco Abraxus Lucius Malfoy, would you do me the great honor, of marrying me, and making me the happiest dragon tamer in the world?”   
Draco grinned, “Yes,” he said happily. “Of course!” Charlie smiled, slipping the ring onto Draco’s finger, and stood up at once, wrapping his arms around Draco’s waist, kissing him long and deep. Draco sighed, into Charlie’s mouth as he always did. “You realize, of course, if we elope, both of our mothers will kill us,” he said.   
Charlie chuckled at that, “Good point,” he said. “I suppose we ought to plan a real wedding then.” Draco nodded.   
“Not to worry, I can handle all of that,” he promised. Charlie smiled gratefully, kissing the side of Draco’s forehead.   
“Glad to hear it babe, but I think we should get back into bed, and celebrate,” he teased.   
Draco giggled, as Charlie lifted him over his shoulder and carried him back to their bed, climbing on top of him once more.   
Draco sighed happily, he was happier than he ever could have imagined being. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to the commenters who's interest in the story reignited my own interest in the story and led to this chapter almost a full year later. :)


End file.
